Aji Verde Wins 1st Place, People's Choice — Green Sauce at the 36th Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival

Aji Pepper Sauce's Aji Verde took 1st Place in the People's Choice — Green Sauce category at the 36th Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, held Sunday, August 30, 2026, at Radio/East in Austin — the festival's first year at that venue. The win was decided by festival attendees, not a judging panel: hundreds of hot sauce lovers tasted their way through the Commercial Bottlers, Restaurant, and Individual categories and voted for their favorites, and Aji Verde came out on top of the Green Sauce field.

This is the first major hot sauce competition win for Aji Pepper Sauce, and it landed in the toughest possible way to win — a blind, crowd-voted tasting against dozens of other green sauces from bottlers, restaurants, and home cooks across Texas.

About the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival

Now in its 36th year, the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is one of the longest-running hot sauce competitions in the country. Judged awards are given across four categories — Red Sauce, Green Sauce, Special Variety, and Pepper Sauce — within Commercial Bottlers, Restaurant, and Individual divisions. Alongside the judged results, the festival runs a separate People's Choice vote in each of the four flavor categories, decided entirely by attendees tasting their way around the festival grounds. Aji Verde's win came in the People's Choice Green Sauce category, competing as a Commercial Bottler entrant.

Why Aji Verde Won

Aji Verde is Aji Pepper Sauce's herb-forward green sauce, built on ají limo and fresh herbs rather than the mayonnaise or dairy base found in many traditional Peruvian-style green sauces. It's vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free, with no sugar added — which means it wins on flavor, not just against other green sauces, but against the entire category of green sauces built around a creamy, allergen-heavy base.

For the crowd at Radio/East, it came down to what was in the cup: bright, herbal heat built on real ají peppers, without a mayo or dairy base slowing it down.

A Word From Valerie

"We were shocked and delighted! With so many great sauces in the running every year, it is truly an honor to be chosen by the people." — Valerie Golson Gipson, Co-Founder & CEO, Aji Pepper Sauce

What This Means Going Forward

A People's Choice win is a real, independent signal: it's not a paid placement or a marketing claim, it's hundreds of strangers tasting a lineup of unlabeled competitors and picking Aji Verde as the best green sauce in the room. For a brand still building name recognition outside Texas, that's a meaningful data point to lead with in retail conversations, PR outreach, and on-pack storytelling going forward.

Try the Award-Winning Sauce

Aji Verde is available at ajipeppersauce.com/products/aji-verde-sauce-350ml, on our Amazon storefront, and at H-E-B stores across Texas. To learn more about what makes it different from a traditional restaurant-style ají verde, read our complete guide to Aji Verde, or see it in action in our Peruvian-style rice with Aji Verde and Pollo a la Brasa recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What award did Aji Verde win?
Aji Verde won 1st Place in the People's Choice — Green Sauce category at the 36th Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, held August 30, 2026, at Radio/East in Austin, Texas.

Is the People's Choice award judged or voted on?
It's voted on by festival attendees. Unlike the festival's judged categories, the People's Choice awards are decided entirely by the people tasting the sauces at the event.

Where can I buy the award-winning Aji Verde sauce?
Aji Verde is available at ajipeppersauce.com, on Amazon, and at H-E-B stores throughout Texas.

What makes Aji Verde different from other green hot sauces?
Aji Verde is built on ají limo and fresh herbs rather than a mayonnaise or dairy base common in traditional Peruvian-style green sauces. It's vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free, with no sugar added.